Associate Director for Clinical Research named at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center
Davendra Sohal, MD, MPH has been named the Associate Director for Clinical Research at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. He is currently an associate professor in the UC College of Medicine and experimental therapeutics and clinic medical director at UC Health. After a 7-year stint at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Sohal came to the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center in late 2019. His focus is on gastrointestinal cancer research and precision medicine, primarily novel clinical trials for patients. He is currently leading a national trial investigating whether a drug used for other types of cancer might work to stop metastatic pancreatic cancer. The drug has shown promise in treating lung and uterine cancer — and Dr. Sohal believes it could have similar benefits for pancreatic cancer. “This was one of the first clinical research grants from the federal government for a clinical trial at UC,” Dr. Sohal says. “That puts us on the national map for pancreatic cancer research.”
Dr. Sohal’s existing multidisciplinary collaboration with UC surgeons, oncologists and laboratory research partners will serve him well in his new role at the cancer center where his top priorities include supporting our clinical trial efforts and fostering research collaborations.
“I am most excited about building out our clinical trials portfolio and clinical/translational collaborations. We have many outstanding investigators, but the pandemic has made collaborations difficult. Nonetheless, leadership has established an excellent platform across our campus, and now it is time to build upon it with multi-disciplinary and multi-investigator trials, studies, grants, and publications," Dr. Sohal said.
About the Clinical/Translational Research Program
The clinical/translational research program is one of three research programs at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. The program focuses on emerging therapies and is designed to foster scientific discovery, lead to the development of novel treatment approaches, and ultimately, positively impact those in our catchment area.
